It has been a very exciting and busy past few months here at the Eden Homes office. I have been away for the most part of three months, helping with regional judging for the Registered Master Builders House of the Year. I travelled extensively and visited beautiful locations that I would never have done otherwise.

We have lots of exciting new projects on the horizon: our two new showhomes, a significant and exciting rural build, a demolition and new home as well as the Verita Development here in Karaka Harbourside. I am looking forward to sharing more information of these projects with you as they progress.

Best regards,

Rob Dines - Director: Eden Homes

VERITA: IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN

Verita is our exclusive European-inspired estate of 23 luxury residences coming soon to Karaka Harbourside. Its name means "truth" in Italian and the truth is, it is a rare opportunity to secure a dwelling of the highest quality in an enchanting corner of Franklin. Buyers are spoilt for choice between freestanding, duplex or terrace properties.

With almost 25 years' experience in masony residential construction, we can confidently say this development has been painstakingly planned and implemented using our best-practice design and build methodology. Our track record for customer satisfaction is impeccable.

We discovered that a turnkey approach is what new owners of luxury homes truly want, so when you move into your home at Verita, you will only need your furniture and decorative pieces, and you of course! Everything else, including high quality window dressings and flooring, will be in place already.

LIFE OUTSIDE

Every home in the Verita development comes complete with carefully designed and implemented outdoor living spaces and landscaping. Nothing gives us more pleasure than delivering a brand new residence that needs no finishing touches. It means you can move in and make yourself at home without the stress of a long 'to-do' list. From the comfort of your outdoor entertainment area, which will flow elegantly off interior living areas, you and your family can simply relax and watch the garden grow to its full magnificence.

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Verita is located at the gateway to Karaka Harbourside Estate, an area of new, high quality housing at the northern end of Franklin. Your go-to café is Urban Soul, just a quick stroll up the road. Another local fabourite is St Margaret's Café and Bistro, less than 10 minutes' drive away. Other amenities nearby include a medical clinic, pharmacy, gym, flower shop, grocery store and beauty spa.

For everyday shopping, the nearest supermarket is Countdown in Papakura and Sylvia Park shopping centre is just 20 minutes to the north. Or you can drive 20 minutes south to enjoy the services, shops and country-town friendliness of Pukekohe.

For those with a beach property, Karaka is less than 90 minutes' drive from Pauanui and Waihi Beach, and just over two hours from Mount Maunganui.

In 2020 a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel will open at Karaka's national horse sales centre, just five minutes' drive from Verita. In addition to accommodation, it will include function rooms, bars and a restaurant.

INTERESTED?

We are now accepting expressions of interest for stage one, with stages two and three following during 2019.

See Eden Properties below for further information.

SHOWHOME: 61 MILANO BOULEVARD, KARAKA

Construction on our new showhome at 61 Milano Boulevard is in full force with estimated completion in April 2019, and anticipated opening date during May 2019. Situated on a beautiful waterfront site in Karaka Harbourside Estate and best described as a ‘Kiwi take on a classic Cape Cod home’, this architectural home will of course be masonry, with rich detail, timber and weatherboard elements and fabulous views of the harbour. The showhome will have a nautical waterfront theme with relaxed everyday living and real indoor-outdoor flow.

As the home and landscape take shape, we’ll share progress with you. Watch this space! ​​​​​​​

SHOWHOME: 80 CAPRIANA DRIVE, KARAKA

Our showhome at 80 Capriana is a stunning new single level home that has been well thought through and designed specifically to make the best use of the quiet corner site and northern aspect. This home will be finished to our usual high standard and will feature 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, double garage and lavish living spaces. It will be completed with generous, spacious outdoor living areas with good orientation to the north and will be fully landscaped with specimen trees, hedging, plants and protected courtyards. Once completed, this home will be magnificent. If you would like to enquire further regarding this beautiful home, please see Eden Properties below.

SPRING CLEANING:

Keeping your Eden Home in top condition

Most of the surfaces on homes and buildings are painted or protected by a surface coating. Getting the job done right in the first place - and a little basic maintenance - can add years to the life of an architectural or decorative paint system.

Exterior Paint Mainenance

It's important that houses are washed each year to maintain the appearance of paint finishes and to remove any build-up of salt deposits, bird droppings, dust, mould and other contaminants that can interact with surface coatings. Salt-blown areas that are not washed by the rain need particular attention and if these areas require repainting, it needs to be undertaken after thoroughly washing and preparing the surfaces.

You will need to clean down your plaster finish every 12-18 months. Most airborne dirt particles accumulate on exterior surfaces during the summer months, so before the winter rain washes the dirt from gutters and windows down the walls, give these areas a clean. For best results, use Dulux House Wash, an all purpose cleaner for use on all exterior painted surfaces including weatherboards, timber, and concrete. It is designed to effectively clean coated surfaces to maintain any painted surface and keep it looking pristine. This product contains d-Limonene, a natural extract from orange skins, to cut through grease and grive leaving surfaces sparkling clean with a fresh citrus fragrance.

Exterior Plaster Maintenance

Regular maintenance is essential to maintaining the water tightness and longevity of all cladding systems, particularly plaster finishes. Regular cleaning (at least annually) of the paint coating is required to remove grime, dirt and organic growth and to maximise the life and appearance of the coating. This may be removed by brushing with a soft brush, warm water and approved detergents.

Paint systems must be re-coated at approximately 5-7 year intervals. Annual inspections must be made to ensure that all aspects of the cladding system, including the coating system, plaster, flashings and any sealed joins remain in waterproof conditions.

Any cracks, damaged areas or areas showing signs of deterioration which would allow moisture to accumulate must be repaired immediately.

Cracks under 2mm wide can be painted over using Dulux AcraTex AcraShield Advance after correct preparations and cleaning of the affected area.

Cracks over 2mm require filling with an Elastomeric sealant.

Significant cracks require the plaster system to be ground off and reinforcing fibreglass mesh fixed and plastered over.

TEAM PROFILE: DAVID PARSETH

At Eden Homes we believe in building great builders, as well as amazing homes. This season's spotlight shines on David Parseth.

This South Aucklander grew up as the eldest of 3 children and graduated from Aorere College in the 90's. After working at a mobile phone company as Branch Manager overseeing two stores, David decided to change his career path and joined Eden Homes in 2013 as a general labourer. For the past 4 years he did his apprenticeship under the watchful eye of Eden Homes' senior builders Dion and Justin, and finally qualified as a Builder this year. Well done, David! He enjoys not being stuck inside an office the whole day, as the best incentive for him is the ability to see his beautiful handiwork come to life.

Besides building, David enjoys camping and hiking and all things adventurous. Recently he climbed to Basecampe One of Mount Everest, something he always wanted to do. In fact, together with his partner Helen, they planned to do this two years ago. But things came up, as they sometimes do, and when the opportunity arose to do a hike this year accompanied by the Himalayan Trust to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the First Summit, David and Helen jumped at the chance to check this off their bucket list.

What made the expedition even more attractive, was the charity work they would be able to do in Kathmandu after recent earthquakes in the area. While Helen taught at some local schools, David helped to rebuild some waterways in the local towns. This also formed part of their acclimatisation before their trek of nearly three weeks.

Besides the unforgiving temperatures whilst also suffering from altitude sickness, diarrhoea and flue, David describes the experience as unbelievalbe. "The last stretch was definitely the hardest. We did our research before we left home and saw all the beautiful pictures of what it would look like. But nothing can prepare you for when you finally look up and see all these mountains that you only saw pictures of in front of you. That made everything we had to endure worth it!"

David remembers the hike fondly, "Every morning they would wake us up at 6am with a cup of tea and a wash bowl. That was the only form of sanitation we saw for our whole journey. We couldn't even wash our clothes the entire time." Equipped with a 40-litre backpack with personal effects and snacks, they would tackle the eight hours' voyage each day while porters moved the rest of their belongings to the next stopover. "It was quite cold. Temperatures at the base camp reached -5 degrees, and it was even colder the higher up we went." But the cold temperatures weren't the only thing taking David's breath away...

David felt on edge and his nerves were shot. As they reached their destination, David took a deep breath, went down on one knee and proposed to Helen. Who said Builders aren't romantic? Getting engaged while tackling this adventure together certainly made him feel on top of the world. They definitely recommend anyone who is thinking of doing this, to do their research and go.

We wish this happy couple all the best for their future together.

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE PROPERTY MARKET?

With the glimpses of sunshine and warmth we've been experiencing of late, there are sure signs of a fabulous summer to come. Similarly, we are seeing some signs of growth around us in Real Estate. We spoke to property expert and Principal of Harcourts Karaka & Papakura, Corinne Kennedy about this, and she agrees. "It's not quite constant yet, but the signs we are seeing are encouraging and positive."

The REINZ Sales Statistics graph for the greater Auckland Area makes for a fascinating study. The market shows some very staunch trending almost every year, with 2018 sitting well in the middle of all previous trends of the last 12 years. Corinne says this reflects what they are seeing daily in their offices, where many new developments of residential and commercial land are attracting new people to the location and giving our long staying locals opportunities to move.

"Credit limitations in the banking sector and restrictions on purchasing for foreign parties may have looked challenging for the housing market," Corinne says. "However, these limitations have been nicely counter balanced with the maturation of Kiwi Saver accounts, some competitive banking offerings to the buying public or refinancing across existing properties, allowing a range of purchasing. Interest rates appear very stable and competition in the banking secor is making it much more opportunistic for buyers. Buyer confidence has been lower, but these factors are lifting the collective thinking."

Sellers in general, who may have found their 'hoped for' results taking longer than expected, are heartened by some good activity in the market place and all these positive signs on the horizon.

When asked about the Christmas period, Corinne could confirm that they have buyers looking now to occupy properties on either side of the Christmas rush. "The seasonal slowdown that can be seen between November and February is the typical slope this graph depicts over the Crhistmas period. Although this period illustrates a descending movement in sales, the market is still active behind the scenes with enquiries and offers, particularly from people wanting to relocate to Auckland from other centres."

Corinne and her team are ready to take your enquiries:

Papakura Office: 09 298 6024

Karaka Office: 09 869 8010

SUMMER GARDENING

Many of our homeowners take time and make good use of the seasonal holiday period to catch up on garden maintenance around their property.

Dead heading and weeding: Tidy up your garden beds by hoeing and pulling weeds. This will make sure that every bit of moister and in-ground nutrition is going straight into your plantings and not shared with those dreaded and unsightly weeds, allowing your plants and garden to grow and fill out to their full potential.

Dead heads: Removing dead heads and spent flowers will not only provide the best visual effect immediately, but will also help your plants to put more concentrated energy into growth as well as repeat flowering. Tidy garden, fuller growth and more colour for the growth season, not to mention a far healthier garden.

Mulching top up: It's a good time of year to top up the mulch around your garden bed with approximately 20-40mm of good quality garden mulch to keep your garden moist over the summer season, as well as stay on top of weed growth.

Pruning vs trimming and shaping: During this time of year, more often than not, the temptation is to vigorously cut back and prune the new season's growth; however, with specimen trees and larger shrubs, we recommend to wait until the autumn season as at this time of the year, the new growth has had time to mature and harden off. Cutting back and selective pruning during the slow growth period allows mature stems and branches to self-repair, ready for the next seasonal growth.

Hedges and topiaries: Hedging and topiary specimen plants respond best with up to three trimmings across the growth period. Firstly, an initial trim and shaping of the spring / summer flush will enhance the plant's shape and appearance. Secondly, follow up shaping 4-6 weeks further into the growing season will help to maintain the desired shape and lines of your garden. Thirdly, a final light autumn / pre-winter trim and shape while there is still good sunlight and warmth in your garden will set up your plants not only to look good, but also to endure the winter months ahead.

EDEN PROPERTIES

The exciting new Verita Development at the gateway of Karaka Harbourside Estate will give prospective buyers an option of terraced, duplex or freestanding homes. We are now accepting expressions of interest for stage one, with stages two and three following in 2019.

Verita Terraced Houses: The terrace houses within Verita are ideal for professionals and retired couples who want a premium home with lock-up-and-go convenience. Three or four bedroom, two-level homes with office space.

Verita Duplex Houses:The substantial duplex homes in our development provide exceptional value for money, and you can be assured of a quality home similar to a Verita freestanding home. The shared walls of these two-level homes are double concrete block to reduce noise transmission. Three and four bedroom units available.

Verita Free Standing Houses:Located on generous sites, the two-level freestanding homes within Verita include three bedrooms, two bathrooms (one en-suite), study and double garage. All homes have open-plan living that flows onto a fully landscaped private alfresco living area with outdoor fireplace.

Mediterranean Magic - 80 Capriana Drive: This single level Mediterranean style home features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, double garage and lavish living spaces. Like all Eden Homes projects, this showhome will be a high-end masonry villa constructed with a high level of detail, and at the end of the showhome period will be sold as a top end, turnkey offer.

Picture perfect architectural home & land package: We are working closely with local market expert Lynne Lockhart to put together a tailored design and build package that would only be limited by your imagination. Opportunities like this don't come by often! This rare gem of 2500m2 in a lush rural area surrounded by lofty trees are within walking distance to the local preschool and only 7km to the motorway. If you'd like to learn more, please contact Rob on 027 576 3805.